Follow Your Instincts
by TearsOfPaper
Summary: One-shot AU for the beginning of Frozer. Spoilers (duh), and lots of fluff.


"For you, m'lady." Chat offered a flower to the lady of his dreams.

She laughed slightly and pushed his hand back. "Seriously, Chat Noir? But you're about to transform back."

"So what?"

"Well, if you transform back then I'll know who you are and, and,"

"And then we won't have to keep secrets from each other anymore."

A green light flashed as Chat's miraculous timed out. He stood still for a second, eyes closed before looking back up at Ladybug. Her eyes were wide, and Adrien prepared himself for the negative turn his imagination had assured him would take place.

"A-a-adrien?"

"Are you disappointed, m'lady?"

Ladybug turned bright red and stumbled backwards. The normally graceful heroine tripped over nothing and fell. Adrien leapt forward to catch her, saving her from the ground.

"If I had known taking the mask off would make you fall for me, I would have done that much sooner, m'lady."

Ladybug blushed bright red and looked away. "I'm sorry, Chat. I have to go."

Adrien helped set Ladybug back on her feet and stepped back. "It's because of the other guy, isn't it? I should never have done this."

"No!" Ladybug all but shouted. "It's just, I need some time to process this."

Adrien nodded. "I understand. So I can expect to talk with you later?"

Taking a deep breath, Ladybug responded affirmatively. "Do you need a lift home? Or something to power up your kwami?"

The little black cat flew over. "Do you have Camembert?"

Adrien groaned and handed Plagg a wedge of the foul-smelling cheese. "You're disgusting, Plagg."

"Okay then, bye." Ladybug darted away, leaving Adrien alone on the rooftop.

"Plagg, claws out."

Chat leapt over the rooftops of Paris toward the school. He was late for fencing. At fencing practice, he was out of it, and Kagami noticed.

"What's going on, Adrien?" She asked after practice. "I usually enjoy defeating you, but it's no fun when you make it that easy."

Adrien stared at the flower in his hand. "What do you do when you finally open up to someone you love, but they don't respond?"

Kagami blinked. "She said no?"

"No, she didn't really say anything. I bared myself to her, and she said she had to think about it."

"Uh huh. Adrien, that's a polite way of saying no." Kagami rolled her eyes.

Adrien vehemently shook his head. "No, you don't understand. I really surprised her with what I said. And she said we would talk later."

"Did she say when?"

"Uh, no?"

Kagami sighed. "Then it's a no from her, Adrien. It's like fencing. Your technique is great, but you need a new target."

Adrien shrugged. "Maybe. Or maybe I just need to follow through."

With that, the conversation ended. Kagami left, and Adrien was not long behind her. He still had the flower, but he was unsure what to do with it. He stared at it the whole way to his house. When he got home, he walked up to his room where he was met with a surprise. A red-clad heroine was sitting uncomfortably on his couch.

"Adrien!" Ladybug jumped up. "Uh, hi."

"Ladybug. I wasn't expecting you this early."

She nodded. "I figured as much. I actually came here right away after the akuma. I mean, I knew you had fencing and all. But, uh, I'm rambling. So sorry. Yeah, and I had to talk to you because, uh, you know. But I needed to think. And I, uh, yeah."

Adrien smiled and sat down beside her. "Hey, it's just me. You don't have to be nervous or anything."

Ladybug giggled nervously. "Yeah. Yust jou. I mean, just you. Well, uh, it's just that, well, it is just you."

"What are you trying to say, m'lady?"

She took a deep breath. "You remember when I said there was another guy, well, that other guy was you, and now I'm afraid that when I show you who I am you're going to think I'm not as good as Ladybug, and I will lose my only chance with you."

Adrien watched as the superheroine shrank into herself. He had never seen her like this before, and it shocked him.

"M'lady, I don't care who you are under the mask. Putting the mask on doesn't change the fundamentals of who you are. You are the same person in school as you are at home as you are saving Paris. And I love you. No matter what, I love you." Adrien took her gloved hand in his. "I will be by your side no matter what."

Ladybug nodded. Taking a steadying breath she said, "Spots off."

A pink flash enveloped her before fading to reveal Marinette. Adrien lifted her chin and looked her in the eyes. Smiling, he closed the distance between them slowly.

Just before their lips met, he whispered, "I love you, no matter what, m'lady."

Then he gently kissed her lips. Warmth flooded his body as he pulled Marinette closer. His fingers found their way into her hair, gently tugging her pigtails out of their place. She wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging just as desperately to him as he was to her. After a moment, Adrien pulled back with a slight gasp, his arms staying around her.

"I will be by your side no matter what."

She smiled. "And I yours."


End file.
